Ontario's new top doctor 'very sorry' for pandemic's negative impacts
As Ontario enters the second phase of the economic reopening, the province’s newly appointed top doctor is offering a rare apology for the lives lost and the businesses impacted during the pandemic.
In an exclusive interview with CTV News Toronto, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said the extended closures of indoor dining and gyms — the longest in North America — weighs on him heavily as the burden of managing COVID-19 now rests on his shoulders.
“I am very, very sorry for all of the negative consequences of this pandemic on everyone,” Dr. Moore told CTV News Toronto at Queen’s Park on Tuesday.
“And I'm sorry for every death and every hospitalization and every person that has been in the intensive care unit and for every business that's been affected.”
That said, Moore believes the province needs to be hyper-cautious in the face of the highly transmissible Delta variant which is quickly becoming the dominant strain in Ontario.
During his first news conference as Chief Medical Officer of Health, Moore dampened any hopes or expectations that the third and final step of the economic reopening will be fast tracked as the province blows past the required vaccination targets.
“We need to be prudent and we need that 21 day [interval] to be able to understand the impact of opening on our communities," Moore said on Tuesday.
If the province holds firm on the 21 day timeline, Step Three, which allows for indoor dining and gyms, would begin on July 21.
Dr. Moore told CTV News Toronto, however, there is “wiggle room” with the date if the right conditions were met, but stressed that he’s not going to make any promises “except to be data driven.”
“If the province continues to achieve the high vaccination rates, and we continue to see despite increased social contacts and increased travel within the province, that we're not seeing a rise in the virus… then I'm very open to follow data driven decision making and reward Ontarians for the hard work that they've done,” Moore said.
Moore said he is undertaking a review of how decisions are made during the pandemic to take into account “the mental, the physical, the social impacts, and the economic impacts” as the province transitions out of lockdowns.
“I do want any public health response to be proportionate to the risk to be prudent to be responsive,” Moore said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.